


Come Back

by Jarino



Series: Bridget Ryder, Human Pathfinder [3]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hunting the Archon, Hurt, Pre-Relationship, Ryder's death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 03:57:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10823262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarino/pseuds/Jarino
Summary: When SAM stops Ryder's heart to escape the Archon's trap, Jaal's heart stops as well. This can't be the end. He doesn't want to say goodbye.





	Come Back

By the stars…this isn’t how this was supposed to go.

They’re hovering – no, dangling – helplessly, their movements restricted by the vice grip of the immobilizing field. Jaal remains calm at first, his mind rushing to find a way out of the trap, but the moment he hears that deep, ominous voice, his blood runs cold.

Out of the shadows steps none other than the Archon himself. He approaches them slowly, his steps measured and calculated, milky eyes focused on Ryder.

He weaves his way through them, saying words that have little relevance to the situation they’re in now. More accurately, he seems to be gloating. The Archon disappears from Jaal’s field of view as he steps behind him and he stares straight ahead in fear. He feels so exposed, so vulnerable, as the kett leader circles around them.

His heart races into overdrive and he immediately starts thinking of the worst possible scenarios. They’re going to be experimented on, or killed, or worse – exalted.

The Archon makes his way back to Ryder, looking down at her with an odd mixture of fascination and pity in his cold eyes. “Such an unlikely rival. It was almost invigorating to have one. And yet, it’s a fitting end.”

Jaal can’t see Bridget’s expression from where he’s suspended, but judging from her tone of voice, her expression is likely one of rage.

“Not before I _end_ you,” she snarls through gritted teeth. “I’ve seen your experiments. It’s what we call ‘inhuman.’”

The Archon’s face twitches the barest amount. He stares her down as he retorts sharply, “And what _I_ call ‘progress.’”

His eyes continue to flick across her face, evaluating _something._ Suddenly, he’s reaching forward and his hand is wrapped around Ryder’s neck, the sound of tightening leather alluding to the pressure he’s inflicting.

“I’m gonna kill you, you bony freak!”  Vetra growls from beside Jaal, moving as much as her restraints will allow.

He echoes her sentiments; he’d like nothing more than to pull Ryder from harm and shoot the Archon in his despicable face, but right now, he’s too frozen with fear to react properly. All he can do is gape in dismay as the Archon turns her head back in forth in curious observation.

And then he’s injecting something into her neck and a pitiful sound escapes Ryder despite her efforts to keep it hidden. Rage and fear war from within Jaal. Adrenaline is pulsing through his veins and his skin is crawling with agitation.

He needs to get _free_. He needs to _stop_ him from hurting her and they need to _get out_ of here.

The Archon’s appraisal of her is cut short when the distant sound of an explosion draws his attention.

“Report,” he demands, speaking into his comms. A short pause. “Await my arrival.”

His gaze snaps back to Ryder and he stares her down, breaching her personal space once more. “Save your strength, human…”

Jaal and Vetra exchange a glance while the Archon observes them a moment longer. Slowly, he begins to back away, his kett subordinates following close behind, and soon after, they’re left alone.

“Raeka must have run into trouble,” Jaal notes, attempting to keep his panic under control.

“We have her beat,” Bridget quips as she tries to get her bearings. “SAM, what can you tell me?”

The AI breaks down the situation in clear, analytical terms. If they are to escape the containment field, someone’s life must expire. Namely, Ryder’s.

She doesn’t take it well.

Jaal can’t say he’s enamored by the idea either. The thought of it going wrong, of her never opening her eyes again, doesn’t sit well with him. But they’re left with no other choice. The Archon will return eventually and when he does…well, Jaal would rather not think on that.

Eventually, Bridget agrees to go through with it, albeit reluctantly. “All right, let’s do it.”

Jaal shares a panicked look with Vetra. The turian takes a deep breath, her voice unsteady as she manages to say, “Ryder…this is crazy. You can’t tell me you’re actually going to…” Her brow plates draw together, her expression pained, and she forces herself to look away.

He doesn’t know what to say. Nothing seems sufficient for what he wants to express. This can’t be the end, can it? He’s only just begun to get to know her. “Ryder,” he pleads, voice hoarse. “Come back. _Please._ ”

Though he can’t see the look on her face, he receives a nod in response. Soon after, SAM’s voice rings through the comms. “Stopping your heart…now.”

Almost immediately, the containment field vanishes and Ryder slumps to the floor.

The moments where she lays unmoving are endless. Vetra is thrashing frantically, desperately begging SAM to work faster, but Jaal finds himself unable to make a sound. He’s staring blankly at her lifeless body, his body becoming increasingly numb. He can barely comprehend what’s happening. She’s not moving. Why isn’t she moving?

“Stimulating the cardiovascular core.” SAM’s monotone voice echoes distantly in Jaal’s hearing. “Zero activity.”

His mind flashes through all the times they’ve spent fighting side by side, all the hours they’ve worked beside one another in the tech lab. Her laughter. Her radiant smile. The flustered state she reduces him to when teasing him about idioms. The longer she lays immobile, the emptier his chest becomes.

_Why isn’t she moving?_

He begins to hyperventilate, fighting his restraints with no success. She can’t die. She _can’t_. He has so much more he wants to show her, so much more he wants to say. She’s pulled him from his endless loop of self-doubt, given him something to strive for...He can’t imagine a world without her in it. It would be far too dark for his liking.

“SAM,” he beseeches, his voice cracking with emotion. _Please_ , stars above, let him hear her voice…just one last time.

Finally, when he can bear it no longer, Bridget gasps loudly, inhaling desperate breaths of air as she struggles to push herself to a sitting position. Jaal wants to weep with relief. She shakes her head back and forth, continuing to catch her breath and regain her bearings. “That’s twice now I’ve come back from the dead,” she pants, rising to her feet on shaky limbs. “Can’t say the experience is improving…”

She jumps right back into humor, attempting to deflect whatever she might be feeling, and Jaal isn’t sure whether to feel irritated or overjoyed. He finally understands what she must have went through when she witnessed Akksul pull the trigger. That sharp, unbridled fear that comes with thinking the one closest to your heart has perished is not a feeling he’ll soon forget.

When she gets to the controls and releases them from the trap, he’s tempted to run over and take her into his arms; to remind himself that she is here and alive. It takes everything within him to restrain himself. This is not the time or place.

Later.

When they’re safe and far away from the Archon’s flagship, he’ll tell her what’s on his mind. For now, they have a mission to complete.

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't really turn out the way I would have liked, but I've been working on it for a while now and I'm sick of staring at it, so...here you go. :P


End file.
